


the more that you say, the less i know

by tonystarkdadmode



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Hurt Evan "Buck" Buckley, Pre-Slash, no beta we die like men, not the most self indulgent buddie fic but its definitely buddie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-16 07:35:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29203701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tonystarkdadmode/pseuds/tonystarkdadmode
Summary: Buck and Eddie are no stranger to smoke. Though, normally they have better protection from it.“Holy hell,” Eddie groaned, coming to his senses. His hand instinctively went to his opposite side, covering the ache blossoming from his ribs. He shifted his body to relieve the weight on the tender area. “Buck?” he wheezed out.When there wasn’t a reply, Eddie began to wake the rest of his body. Somewhere deep in his subconscious, the paramedic inside him was silently taking inventory of his injuries. His arms, legs, shoulders, knees, all protested as he slowly made his way onto all fours. “C’mon, Buckley, where are you?” Eddie called out.The atmosphere was thick, whether it was from the dust of the fall or the smoke from the fire, Eddie couldn’t tell. The light on his helmet flickered as he began to take in his surroundings.OR: Eddie and Buck are stuck underground after a building collapse. You know how it goes.
Relationships: Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV) & Bobby Nash, Evan "Buck" Buckley & Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 349





	the more that you say, the less i know

**Author's Note:**

  * For [doctornineandthreequarters](https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctornineandthreequarters/gifts).



> this is dedicated to the lovely jaime for being the sole reason I got into this show!! only seems fitting my first fic in this fandom is for her. allllll the love <3

Buck and Eddie are no stranger to smoke. Though, normally they have better protection from it. 

“Holy hell,” Eddie groaned, coming to his senses. His hand instinctively went to his opposite side, covering the ache blossoming from his ribs. He shifted his body to relieve the weight on the tender area. “Buck?” he wheezed out. 

When there wasn’t a reply, Eddie began to wake the rest of his body. Somewhere deep in his subconscious, the paramedic inside him was silently taking inventory of his injuries. His arms, legs, shoulders, knees, all protested as he slowly made his way onto all fours. “C’mon, Buckley, where are you?” Eddie called out. 

The atmosphere was thick, whether it was from the dust of the fall or the smoke from the fire, Eddie couldn’t tell. The light on his helmet flickered as he began to take in his surroundings. 

“Diaz to main, does anyone copy?” Eddie tried to radio. With static as his only response, he heaved himself to his feet. 

“Buck, call out!” Holding on to the rubble surrounding him for balance, the man slowly made his way around the narrow area. Pieces of the building piled on top of each other, creating a passageway from the small space he originally woke. 

“–tain Nash... –espond,” Bobby’s stern voice emerged from Eddie’s shoulder. 

“This is Diaz, Cap can you hear me?”

“It’s good to hear your voice, Diaz.” Eddie almost sighed with relief. He still had an abundance of problems, but at least communicating with his team wasn’t one of them. “Is Buckley with you?”

Eddie’s eyebrows pinched once more. “No, visibility is low and I just started moving around.” 

“Any injuries?”

“I busted up my side pretty good, I’m guessing bruised ribs. I might’ve hit my head on the way down, I can’t really remember,” the firefighter noted as he kept searching. 

“Did you lose consciousness?” Bobby’s staticky voice asked.

“Yeah. I know I shouldn’t have moved but I need to find Buck,” Eddie paused and leaned against a piece of rubble to catch his breath. “Cap, what the hell happened?”

“The heat from the fire did a lot of damage to the support beams. We’re guessing this, in addition to any previous structural damage may have caused the structure to give.”

“Previous damage?” he asked breathily. 

Bobby sighed. “This building was in the affected area from the earthquake.” 

Eddie’s mind was swirling. Bobby’s information, his injuries, and the sensory input from being trapped in the rubble were mixing in his brain. Everything was slowing, mixing like taffy, too hard to comprehend. The paramedic in the back of his brain whispered the possibility of a concussion. 

“Diaz, you still with me?”

Eddie groaned as he held his forehead, willing the building pressure to go away. “Yeah.” 

“If you need me to pull you out of there, I will. We will send a team to go get you and we will find Buck another way.” 

Buck. Eddie swallowed his pain. 

“I have to find him, Cap.” 

“That’s not what I asked. You’re injured, you hit your head, we can come down and get you right now.” 

“No,” Eddie inhaled. “I’m okay, I just needed a second. I can keep looking.” 

The Captain paused. “Fine. But Diaz, I need you to keep talking to me, okay? I want constant updates.” 

“Copy.” 

Eddie heaved himself off the makeshift wall and continued on. 

The original location Eddie woke up in couldn’t have been larger than a standard bathroom, enclosed with rubble on all but one side. He followed the pathway as it became more and more narrow.

“Buck! Where are you?” he called, moving on previous pieces of the ceiling as if they were misplaced stepping stones. 

“Diaz, what do you see?”

“Not much, Cap. There seemed to be a path from where I fell but I don’t see any sign of Buck.”

“How’s your gear from the fall?”

“Radio still works, flashlight’s flickering, I’m not sure how long it will last.” He cleared the glass head on his oxygen meter, “Air is still green.” 

“Alright, keep going as far as you can,” Bobby trailed off as someone in the background spoke inaudibly. “We’re getting ready to pull you out, so when I say it's time to go, it’s time–”

_“No,_ we need to find Buck!” Eddie exclaimed, exasperated.

“Eddie, he might be in a place we can’t get to right now,” Bobby placated. “I promise we will get him but I’m not going to lose you in the process.” 

A short exhale was the only thing his captain got in response. 

Following the path, Eddie’s mind was still somewhat foggy. His headache had spread from behind his eyes to all around his head, throbbing in time with his heartbeat. “C’mon, Buck,” he muttered under his breath as he continued. 

Through the flickering light, he could see the passageway halt. Two slabs of concrete finished the alley with nothing more than a small opening. 

“No, no, no. Come on.” Eddie ran his gloved hands across the surfaces. It was too small for him to fit through as is. 

“Buck! Call out!” His cries were only met with silence. _“Fuck,”_ the man cursed, before calling out once more. “Buck, can you hear me?” 

“Alright Diaz,” the radio creaked to life once more. 

“Cap, I need more–” A sound caught Eddie’s attention. It was soft, like shifting rubble. Bobby’s questions were drowned out as Eddie zeroed in on the sound. 

“I think I heard something.”

“Was it Buck?” Bobby asked urgently. 

“I don’t know what it was but something is definitely moving,”

Bobby sighed. “Eddie, that could just be smaller pieces falling.”

“No, I need to check, I need to find out.” _I need to find him,_ he didn’t say. 

Eddie was met with a pause. “Two more minutes, then you’re coming out. I’m not kidding, Eddie, I don’t care if I have to come get you myself.” 

The opening was angled, making estimation on how to get through much more difficult. His gear was both bulky and heavy, adding a considerable amount to his bodily diameter. The concrete was impenetrable without electric tools, and any attempt to make the opening bigger could result in a collapse, closing the hole altogether. 

_If the space can’t change_ , Eddie thought, _then I have to._

Removing one’s helmet, oxygen mask and tank, and turnout coat is way beyond a violation protocol, but it didn’t add an ounce of hesitation to Eddie’s mind. The opening didn’t seem too deep, and Eddie was able to throw his gear through to the ground on the other side. A quick inhale from his mask, and the oxygen tank was off and on the other side as well. 

Without the mask, the mix of smoke, debris and heat in the air stung around the firefighter’s eyes, making his maneuver much more difficult. Eddie knew he couldn’t push or pull against the concrete for support, or he’d risk collapsing the opening with him in it. Slowly, he coordinated his shoulders, torso and legs through the slim gap, before tumbling out the other side.

“Buck?” Eddie coughed, regaining his footing. The same noise as before responded. Eddie took off towards the sound, not bothering to replace his gear on his body beforehand. 

In the corner of the new access, the younger firefighter was slumped against a pile of rubble.

“You son of a bitch,” Eddie breathed, collapsing by his side. 

“Eddie,” Buck gave a small smile as his partner started checking for injuries. “I knew you’d come.”

“I heard you moving, I knew I had to come save your ass.” 

The previous haze across Eddie’s mind quickly receded to the adrenaline rush from finding Buck. Everything was sharp, quick. His head no longer ached. It was as if he was in Afghanistan again, he knew exactly what he needed to do. 

“What hurts, Buck?” 

Buck groaned in response, “What doesn’t?”

“Diaz– Diaz report!” Eddie’s jacked roared from the opening. He scrambled back to grab hold of the radio before turning his attention back on Buck.

“Cap, I found him!”

“Eddie, you’re breaking up, repeat.” The static morphed Bobby’s voice, more metallic and artificial than it was in the previous space. 

“This is Firefighter Diaz, I have Firefighter Buckley.” 

“Copy,” Bobby’s relief was slight, but audible. “What’s his status?”

“Awake and talking,” Eddie noted into his radio. “Buck, do you remember what day it is?”

“You know I wouldn’t know that anyways,” he frowned. 

“Fair point,” Eddie gave a short laugh, quickly losing his smile when the younger man began coughing. “Hey, where’s your mask?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know where it went,” he wheezed. 

“Okay, when you fell, did you take it off or did it fall off?” Eddie turned to the surrounding area to try and locate it. 

“What do you mean fell?” 

Eddie’s blood turned to ice. He tried to focus the man's eyes. “Buck, look at me. Do you know where you are? Do you remember what happened?”

Buck began coughing again, but he couldn’t hide the panic in his eyes. Eddie quickly turned and grabbed his own mask, securing it on his partners face as he caught his breath. 

“I need you to tell me what hurts,” Eddie stressed. There wasn’t any visible blood on the man, besides for some obvious cuts scattering his face. But with the low visibility, he couldn’t risk missing an injury. 

“Um, my shoulder and my stomach, maybe my leg.” Something fell from Buck’s grip as he moved his hand furthest from Eddie to the areas he was describing. Eddie reached into the shadow to find the object, only to lift up Buck’s oxygen mask, the clear covering cracked and splintered. 

Eddie swallowed before grabbing his radio, a cold sweat dripping down his neck. “Cap, we’re gonna need a lift out of here pretty soon.” 

“Alright, just sit tight. You’re in a different area than you were before so we’re coming up with a new plan.” 

_He doesn’t have that kind of time,_ the paramedic in him screamed. “You said your shoulder and your leg hurt?” 

Buck nodded. Eddie moved his hands to tenderly touch up and down his leg, around his knee. Buck didn’t show any additional signs of discomfort in that area, nor when Eddie worked around his shoulder. 

“All I see are some scratches. Can I look at your stomach?”

“I’m sure it’s fine,” Buck dismissed through the mask. 

“I really need to look.” Eddie began lifting the bottom of the younger man’s shirt to inspect the area. 

Eddie’s stomach dropped. A dark blemish covered the greater portion of his torso and side. 

“Honestly, Eddie, it doesn’t hurt that bad anymore.” 

The older man covered Buck’s stomach once more. 

“Cap,” Eddie started into the radio.

“Diaz, we’re working as fast as we can, I promise.”

“Bobby, we need to get out of here. Now.”

The name change caught Bobby’s attention immediately. “What happened?”

“I’m pretty sure he smacked his head pretty hard on the way down, his O2 mask is completely cracked. He’s coherent but he doesn’t remember what happened and he’s got some serious internal bleeding.” Buck's eyes were closed, focused on inhaling and exhaling the oxygen smoothly.

“Okay,” Bobby breathed. “Okay, here’s what’s happening. Right now, you and Buck are under a less stable pile than where you originally were, which is why it’s taking us longer to reach you. If you stay where you are, we have to move slowly to avoid triggering another collapse. If there is any way you can get Buck to where you were before, it would greatly speed up the process.” 

“Copy.”

No hesitation, just like Afghanistan. His body was acting before his mind knew. “Come on, Buck, we gotta go,” he strained, as he positioned himself to move his partner. With one hand hoisting Buck into the air and the other grasping Buck’s, the younger man’s arm settled across Eddie’s neck as they set off.

The fight-or-flight response Eddie’s body was projecting kept him sharp and focused, but he forgot about the concrete hole predicament until they reached it. 

“Damn it,” Eddie cursed under his breath, sitting Buck against the concrete on the floor. 

“Eddie,” Buck started, but his partner was too busy reanalyzing the opening for a different solution. “Eddie,” he said more forcefully. 

_He has a head injury, which has made him uncoordinated and confused,_ Eddie began, wrapped up in his own mind. _Risk of rubble shifting is high._ _Internal bleeding in this lower thoracic region rules out moving through on his stomach. He–_

“Eddie, please.” Buck pleaded. 

“Everything’s okay, Buck. I’m just figuring out how to get us through.” 

“I know what’s happening.” Eddie’s head snapped to the other man as he took off the gas mask. “Okay, well I shouldn’t say that but I know enough.”

“Buck,” Eddie crouched down next to his partner. Buck's eyes were soft, slightly unfocused. Dust and soot littered his face, pooling in every crevice. He was worn, tired, but he was there.

“It’s okay. You need to go. I know you can make it through without me.”

“The whole reason I came through in the first place was to get you,” Eddie countered. 

“You heard Bobby, he can get to you from that side. Please, just go.”

“No,” Eddie’s voice began to strain as he placed a hand on Buck’s shoulder. “This isn’t a discussion. I’m not leaving you.” Eddie couldn't comprehend why they were having the conversation in the first place. 

“Yes you are. I can wait here until Bobby gets to me, I’ll be okay.” Buck’s eyes began to water, unconvincing with his own lie. 

“Buck–”

“Eddie, you need to think about Christopher, okay? You have that amazing kid waiting for you at home, you need to go so you can make it back to him.” Buck sniffled, as he thrust the mask back into his partner’s hand. “You tell him how much I love him when you go home to him. Maddie, too, how much I love her.” He gripped the older man’s arms, willing his wishes into existence. 

“No, stop–”

"Tell the team, too. Bobby's gonna blame himself but it won't be his fault. You can't blame yourself either, I know how you are. Bobby, Hen, Chim – they're my family. And you, God–" his voice caught. "You're my family, you're _everything_."

"Please–"

Tears ran through the soot on the younger man's face, cleaning streaks down his cheeks. “It’s okay. You’ll be okay–”

“Evan, if you keep talking like that, I’m gonna lose it, okay?” Eddie was infuriated, but there was no mistaking the shake or the emotion in his voice. “I cannot think about doing this, or saying your goodbyes, or going on without you because I’m going to _lose my fucking mind._ And I need it right now to get us out of here.”

Buck gave a watery smile, moving his hand to cup the other man’s cheek. “You always had my back.” 

Eddie’s entire body lit up, gripping the other man's shoulders. “That’s right. Buck, that’s it.” He brought the both of them to their feet once more. 

“Cap, get ready for us,” Eddie said into the radio as he removed Buck’s bulky turnout coat.

“Copy.” 

“Alright, Buck, you’re gonna lean here against this rock while I go first, but I don’t want you to let go of my hands, okay?” Buck nodded, slightly confused. 

Instead of entering arms and head first like he did previously, Eddie went foot-first while using his hands to balance his upper torso on the rubble just outside the opening. 

“Okay grab my hands,” he reached after initially pushing partly through. Gently, he wiggled his body backwards until his legs exited the enclosure. 

“This is gonna hurt like hell to get into but I promise it will just take a second,” Eddie squeezed Buck’s hands, displacing some of the man’s weight for him. “I need you to go head first through the opening on your back.” 

The uncertainty in Buck’s eyes lit through the haze. “Evan, you can do this,” the older man whispered. “I got you.” 

Slowly, Buck nodded and began getting into position. “Watch your head and don’t touch the sides once you're in here,” Eddie noted as he slid farther back into the opening to make room. 

Pain shot across Buck’s stomach as he arched his back. He clamped his jaw shut to prevent a cry from escaping. 

“That’s it, keep going,” Eddie encouraged. 

As Buck’s head entered the hole, he couldn’t keep it in anymore. A scream leapt from his lips as his shoulders and back rested on the stone. 

Eddie hooked his legs on the other side of the crevice, and used the leverage to pull Buck forwards by his hands. 

“Almost there,” Eddie tried to soothe the younger firefighter as he pulled again. By that point, Eddie’s feet were firmly on the ground as he pulled his torso and head out. 

Horrible shrieks emerged from Buck as he was dragged, sounds that would haunt Eddie for months to come. 

_We’re getting out of here. We’re getting out of here. We have to get out of here._ A continual internal mantra tried to overpower Buck’s noises. 

Just as Buck’s arms and head appeared at the opening, a pair of hands grabbed each arm to assist. 

Eddie’s mantra shut off as his tunnel vision receded. “Holy shit.”

“Good to see you too, buddy,” Chimney quickly noted. 

“On three,” Bobby commanded, grasping onto Buck opposite of Chimney. “One, two, three!” 

Buck gave a final yelp as he was fully moved out of the crevice and onto a backboard, Eddie’s hands never losing their grip on Buck’s. 

Bobby glanced over to Eddie. “Told you I’d come get you myself.” Eddie gave a short laugh. “Let’s get you two out of here.”

**Author's Note:**

> no Hen in this one, I figured she would be waiting anxiously at the surface to check them both over once they came back up :)
> 
> follow my 911 tumblr if u want: bobbynashdadmode


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